Scottish Climate Survey: main findings 2024 to 2025
Main findings from Scottish Climate Survey.
Views on climate change
This chapter summarises survey findings regarding public views on climate change. It explores knowledge and attitudes towards climate change, talking to others about it, trusted sources of information, and feelings about climate change.
Key findings
Over six in ten (62%) respondents said they knew a great deal or a fair amount about climate change. Knowledge about climate change was linked to education and socio-economic status, with graduates, those with higher household incomes and those living in Scotland’s least deprived areas more likely than average to say they knew at least a fair amount about this topic.
- almost three quarters of respondents (72%) felt climate change is an immediate and urgent problem, while 13% felt it is more of a problem for the future
- around two in five respondents (39%) said they had spoken to others about climate change at least once a week in the last month, while more than a fifth (22%) said they had not spoken to others about climate change at all in the last month
- the most trusted source of information or advice about climate change was universities, research organisations or scientists (74%), followed by the Scottish Government (39%), major national charities or third sector organisations (32%), and the UK Government (31%)
- when asked how thinking about climate change made them feel, respondents most commonly said they felt 'worried' (46%), “powerless' (35%) or 'sad' (26%)
- just under a quarter of respondents (24%) reported that their feelings about climate change never have a negative impact on them
- just over one in ten (11%) reported that their feelings about climate change have a negative effect on them constantly or often as they go about their daily activities
Knowledge about climate change
Six in ten respondents (62%) said they knew a great deal or a fair amount about climate change. A further three in ten (34%) said they knew a little, while just 3% said they knew nothing at all about it (Figure 2.1).
Figure 2.1: Knowledge about climate change
Q. Overall, how much would you say you know about the topic of climate change?
Base: All respondents online (2,953)
The following groups were more likely to say they knew at least a fair amount about climate change: men compared to women, graduates compared to non-graduates, young people aged 16 to 34 compared with those aged 35 and over, those with a higher household income of £52,000 and above compared to those with a household income of less than £26,000, and those living in the least deprived areas compared to those in the most deprived areas (Figure 2.2).
Figure 2.2: Groups more likely to say they knew at least a fair amount about climate change
Q. Overall, how much would you say you know about the topic of climate change?
Base: All respondents online (2,953)
Attitudes towards climate change
Almost three quarters of respondents (72%) felt climate change is an immediate and urgent problem, while 13% felt it was more of a problem for the future. One in ten (9%) respondents felt climate change is not a problem or were not convinced that climate change is happening (Figure 2.3).
Figure 2.3: Attitudes towards climate change
Q. Which of these statements, if any, comes closest to your own view?
Base: All respondents (4,070)
Certain groups were more likely to say climate change is an immediate and urgent problem: women compared to men, graduates compared to non-graduates, young people aged 16 to 34 compared with those aged 35 and over, graduates compared to non-graduates, those with a household income of £52,000 and above compared to those with a household income of less than £26,000, those living in the least deprived areas compared to those in the most deprived areas, and those who know at least a fair amount about climate change compared to those who know a little or nothing at all (Figure 2.4).
Figure 2.4: Groups more likely to say climate change is an immediate and urgent problem
Q. Which of these statements comes closest to your own view?
Base: All respondents (4,070)
The following groups were more likely to say climate change is not a problem or not happening: men compared to women, older people compared to younger people, and non-graduates compared to graduates (Figure 2.5).
Figure 2.5: Groups more likely to say climate change is not a problem or not happening
Base: All respondents (4,070)
Speaking to others about climate change
Just under two in five respondents (39%) said they had spoken to others about climate change at least once a week in the last month, while a further 36% said they had done so at least once or twice over the last month. Almost a quarter of respondents (22%) said they had not spoken to others about climate change at all in the last month (Figure 2.6).
Figure 2.6: Speaking to others about climate change
Q. Thinking about the last month, how often would you say you have spoken to people about climate change?
Base: All respondents online (2,953)
Groups that were more likely to say they had spoken to others about climate change at least once a week in the last month were: those aged 16-34 and aged 70 and over compared to other age groups, those living in rural areas compared to those in urban areas, graduates compared to non-graduates, those who report they know at least a fair amount about climate change compared to those who report they know a little or nothing at all, and those living in the least deprived areas compared to those in the most deprived areas (Figure 2.7).
Figure 2.7: Speaking to others about climate change – demographic differences
Q. Thinking about the last month, how often would you say you have spoken to people about climate change?
Base: All respondents online (2,953)
Sources of information about climate change
By far the most trusted source of information or advice about climate change was universities, research organisations or scientists (74%). The Scottish Government was the second most trusted source (39%), followed by major national charities or third sector organisations (32%), the UK Government (31%) and news media (25%) (Figure 2.8).
Figure 2.8: Trusted sources of information about climate change
Q. Which of the following, if any, would you trust to provide accurate information or advice about climate change?
Base: All respondents (4,075)
The largest differences in trust in information sources were seen by education, age and household income, although there were also some minor differences by gender, location, and disability.
Graduates had higher than average trust in each of the eight top-ranked sources compared to non-graduates: universities, research organisations or scientists (84%, compared to 69%), major national charities or third sector organisations (48%, compared to 24%), the Scottish Government (47%, compared to 36%), the UK Government (40%, compared to 27%), news media (30%, compared to 23%) their local authority (23%, compared to 14%), friends, family or work colleagues (13%, compared to 8%), local community groups (12%, compared to 8%), and businesses (5%, compared to 3%).
Young people aged 16-34 were more likely than their older counterparts aged 35 and over to trust most of these sources. Specifically, young people were more likely to say they trusted the Scottish Government (53%, compared to 35%), major national charities or third sector organisations (47%, compared to 27%), the UK Government (38%, compared to 29%), their local authority (27%, compared to 14%), friends, family or work colleagues (14%, compared to 9%), local community groups (14%, compared to 8%), people on social media (8%, compared to 3%), and celebrities / public figures (5%, compared to 2%).
Respondents with a higher household income of £52,000 and above were more likely than those with a lower household income of less than £26,000 to trust most of these information sources. This included being more likely to trust universities, research organisations or scientists (88%, compared to 67%), the Scottish Government (50%, compared to 37%), major national charities or third sector organisations (45%, compared to 27%), the UK Government (45%, compared to 24%), their local authority (25%, compared to 15%), and businesses (7%, compared to 2%).
Respondents living in an energy hub area were less likely than those who were not to trust either the Scottish Government (32%, compared to 41%) or the UK Government (25%, compared to 32%).
Men and those living in rural areas were more likely than average to say they trusted none of these sources (both 9%, compared to the average of 6%).
Feelings about climate change
When asked how thinking about climate change made them feel, respondents more commonly selected negative emotions than neutral or positive emotions. ‘Worried’ was the most commonly chosen word (46%) to describe how thinking about climate change made respondents feel. This was followed by ‘powerless’ (35%) and 'sad’ (26%) (Figure 2.9).
Figure 2.9: Feelings about climate change
Q. When you think about climate change, which of the following words best describe how it makes you feel?
Base: All respondents (4,075)
Feelings about climate change varied by education, household income, and how much respondents felt they knew about climate change, as well as between women and men.
Graduates were more likely than non-graduates to feel ‘worried’ (56%, compared to 43%), ‘powerless’ (41%, compared to 32%), ‘angry’ (20%, compared to 15%), ‘afraid’ (13%, compared to 10%), ‘guilty’ (11%, compared to 7%) or ‘determined’ (9%, compared to 6%). Non-graduates were more likely than graduates to feel ‘hopeful’ (17%, compared to 13%) or ‘sceptical’ (15%, compared to 8%).
Respondents with a higher household income of £52,000 and above were more likely than those with a lower household income of less than £26,000 to feel ‘worried’ (56%, compared to 45%), ‘powerless’ (40%, compared to 31%), ‘angry’ (23%, compared to 16%), ‘guilty’ (12%, compared to 8%), ‘determined’ (11%, compared to 6%) or ‘indifferent’ (8%, compared to 4%). Those with a lower household income were more likely to feel ‘hopeful’ (21%, compared to 11% of those with a higher household income).
Respondents who knew at least a fair amount about climate change were more likely than those who knew a little or nothing at all to say they feel ‘worried’ (50%, compared to 40%), ‘powerless’ (39%, compared to 29%), ‘angry’ (22%, compared to 10%), ‘afraid’ (13%, compared to 10%) or ‘determined’ (11%, compared to 2%). Respondents who knew a little or nothing at all about climate change were more likely to feel ‘confused’ (13%, compared to 5%) or ‘indifferent’ (10%, compared to 5%).
Women were more likely than men to say they felt ‘worried’ (52%, compared to 42%), ‘sad’ (31%, compared to 21%), ‘afraid’ (14% compared to 9%), ‘confused’ (11%, compared to 6%), and ‘guilty’ (11%, compared to 6%). Men were more likely to say they were ‘sceptical’ (16%, compared to 10% of women) or ‘indifferent’ (8%, compared to 4%).
Differences by age group are shown in Table 2.1 below. Young people aged 16-34 were more likely than average to say they felt ‘powerless’, ‘angry’, ‘afraid’, ‘guilty’ or ‘indifferent’. Older people aged 55 and over were more likely than average to say they felt ‘interested’, ‘hopeful’, ‘sceptical’ or ‘confused’.
Table 2.1: Feelings about climate change by age
| Feelings | Aged 16-34 | Aged 35-54 | Aged 55-69 | Aged 70+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Worried |
50% |
46% |
48% |
43% |
|
Powerless |
43%+ |
35% |
29% |
31% |
|
Sad |
24% |
27% |
26% |
28% |
|
Interested |
16% |
19% |
26%+ |
28%+ |
|
Angry |
23%+ |
16% |
14% |
14% |
|
Hopeful |
11% |
11% |
17% |
26%_ |
|
Sceptical |
8% |
13% |
15%+ |
16%+ |
|
Afraid |
19%+ |
11% |
8% |
8% |
|
Confused |
8% |
7% |
10% |
11%+ |
|
Guilty |
13%+ |
10% |
6% |
4% |
|
Determined |
9% |
7% |
6% |
4% |
|
Indifferent |
8%+ |
7% |
4% |
3% |
+ statistically significant difference compared to the average
Feelings about climate change and daily activities
Just under a quarter of respondents (24%) reported that their feelings about climate change never have a negative impact on them as they go about their daily activities. A further 29% said their feelings about climate change rarely had a negative effect on them.
Just over one in ten respondents (11%) reported that their feelings about climate change constantly or often have a negative effect on them as they go about their daily activities. A further third (33%) said their feelings about climate change sometimes had a negative effect on them (Figure 2.10).
Figure 2.10: Frequency of feelings about climate change having a negative impact on daily activities
Q. How often, if at all, do your feelings about climate change have a negative effect on you as you go about your daily activities such as sleeping, concentrating at home / work / study, enjoying your hobbies, or spending time with family / friends?
Base: All respondents (4,058)
Certain groups who may be more vulnerable were more likely to say that their feelings about climate change constantly or often have a negative effect on them: those aged 70 and over compared to younger age groups, those with a household income of less than £26,000 compared to those with a household income of £26,000 or more, and disabled people compared to non-disabled people (Figure 2.11).
Figure 2.11: Groups more likely to say their feelings about climate change constantly or often have a negative effect on them
Base: All respondents (4,058)
Those reporting they know at least a fair amount about climate change and those who talk to others about this topic at least once a week were also more likely to say that their feelings about climate change have a negative effect on them constantly or often (12%, compared to 4% of those who know a little or nothing at all, and 18%, compared to 4% of those who talk to others once or twice a month). This suggests that those who are more knowledgeable about climate change and discuss it with others more often are also those whose feelings about climate change are more likely to be having a negative effect on them day-to-day.
Contact
Email: emily.creamer@gov.scot